Depression is a major issue in today’s society, and it’s an extremely sensitive, as well as complex subject that many people and organisations are trying to tackle. Virgin Mobile Australia has today announced that they’ve partnered with R U OK?, a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to encourage and equip everyone to regularly and meaningfully ask “are you ok?”, as part of this mission, they advertise September 11 as R U Ok? Day and encourage people to reach out and meaningfully ask family and friends R U Ok?
As the official ‘conversation partner’ for R U Ok? Day, Virgin Mobile Australia is offering their customers free phone calls in Australia on September 11th, enabling their customers to reach out to family and friends through a phone call. It’s a phone call that’s the key here, with Virgin Mobile advising that 82% of social media users finding a phone call makes them feel more connected to others. Feeling disconnected from others is one of the factors that R U Ok? find are risk factors for people with depression.
Virgin Boss, Richard Branson has recorded a message for R U Ok? Day about the importance of conversation:
Virgin Mobile is putting all the information about their involvement up on their MakingMobileBetter website, or for more information on R U Ok? Day, you can head over to their website.
With more than 3 million Australians living with anxiety or depression, reaching out to someone any day, not just on the 11th of September is a great idea, but if you’re a Virgin Mobile customer you can do it for free on R U Ok? Day. It would be great to see other carriers come on board with this, but try and make the effort any way, even if it costs you some money, it could save a life.
